November too early

In villages around here, quite a number of houses have had outdoor lights since the start of November.

For several years now, the grumpy part of me, on seeing them, shrieked " What the hell ...!", but after all that time I am very much coming round to "How cheerful it makes things feel!".

I've been converted - even though our decorations will still not go up until about a week before Christmas (and down again before the New Year, I can totally see why other people want to do something that lifts their spirits over a much longer period. I have started to think of them as winter lights, not Christmas lights, which I think makes a lot of sense given that they are likely to remain up for at least three months.
Now they make me happy instead of grumpy 😊

Ours will go up mid December, when the real free is delivered and stay about until the 12th December and I’ll love every day when I come downstairs.
I don’t mind what others do, a couple of local houses have their outside lights on now.

SueDonim

Christmas trees that go up in November are displaying a case of premature treejaculation. .

I don’t much care what others do, but for us, decorations go up in the week before Christmas and come down just after NY.

Love it

It’s too early for me but I really don’t mind what others do, I’ve noticed a few houses with all their Christmas lights outside on so I gather they have gone to town inside too, it’s a bit of happiness for lots of people so that’s got to be good.

Now we have all these LED lights, I love seeing them up - at any time of year - and people are putting them up all year round.

My next door neighbour has lights on the climbing rose that goes the front of their house, permanently. They are turned on for Christmas, birthdays, Royal occasions, village celebrations, you name it and their lights go on.

For Christmas I start putting decorations up roughly a fortnight before Christmas, and take my time doing it, a bit each day, usually completing them the weekend before Christmas.

I do, however start taking them down as soon as we have had New Years day. We always go to France for a week early in January and I like the decorations down and away before we go away.

Mine goes up, first day of Advent, preparing for the Christmas Day. Makes it so much better and keeps that special meaning, for me.

Fleurpepper

Far too early- DEcember is the month and not a day before. I am not religious, but it starts with Advent.

Absolutely agree.

MissChateline

My Christmas twig goes up on Xmas Eve and comes down on Boxing Day. That’s long enough for this consumerist shenanigans.

Only consumerist shenanigans, as you say, if you let it be so.

Where I live we had lots of decorated houses and parties for Diwali a week or so ago and I guess all our cultures and traditions are just merging and people will do as they like wrt the light decorations and Christmas

I tend to wait until December but I’m going to get the real tree tomorrow and leave it outside as they run out really quickly where I get it from

Don’t care what other people do fwiw 😂

Our grandchildren are decorating their pre-lit tree as I write. It’s winter, the pretty lights cheer up their huge family room making it magical and cosy. The kids love it, their mum does because there are no shedding pine needles (as in previous years) and their dad is happy not having to trundle the twiggy remains to the council tip in January.

I’ve been sent photos and it looks wonderful!

Urmstongran

Our grandchildren are decorating their pre-lit tree as I write. It’s winter, the pretty lights cheer up their huge family room making it magical and cosy. The kids love it, their mum does because there are no shedding pine needles (as in previous years) and their dad is happy not having to trundle the twiggy remains to the council tip in January.

I’ve been sent photos and it looks wonderful!

Sparkly lights do look warm and lovely in dreary winter.

We begin stringing thousands of outdoor tree lights after right after 11 November. Have done for years and years, old lights now being replaced by smaller sparkly lights. All the trees behind our home - pretty. Father Christmas lives happily in our back garden full of lights and little children.

We put up an indoor live tree just before Christmas, decorations and lights. Decorations and lights are put away after Epiphany. Christmas and Advent are about Church holidays, for us.

Certainly shouldn’t be putting up decorations before the start of Advent. And I do wish we didn’t have to listen to Christmas music for most of November. By the time Christmas actually arrived I’m sick of carols.

Our outside lights will be on at the beginning of December but the tree only goes up a week before Christmas and comes down at epiphany.

The same here-love Spring.

I like seeing other people’s but ours (real) won’t go up until some time in December. Might even be the 8th this year, v early for us, since Gdcs are probably coming for the weekend of 9/10th. But not expecting any guests after that - going to DD’s for 24th-26th.

GrannyRose15

Certainly shouldn’t be putting up decorations before the start of Advent. And I do wish we didn’t have to listen to Christmas music for most of November. By the time Christmas actually arrived I’m sick of carols.

Where have you been hearing carols before December? I heard just one the other day on Classic, but that’s been it so far. (I do mean carols, not ‘Christmas songs’.)

I’ve heard “In the bleak midwinter “on classic FM at least twice in two days.

I love Christmas but would rather it didn’t start so early. Our local Christmas markets, complete with carol singers, have been on last weekend and this - I’d rather have had them to look forward to in December. DDIL suggested going to a local Christmas parade last week and got a scathing “No, because it’s still November” from DGS, aged 10.

Lights are different, imho. I’m happy for them to cheer up the dark nights. Our tree won’t be going up before mid-December though, and will stay up till Twelfth Night.

Hmm - tomorrow is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent has begun, so nothing to do with December being the start - that's for Advent calendars: just saying....

We’ve put ours up today, and it makes the place look lovely! Whether it all stays up with the cats around is another matter…

My birthday is December 6th and I don’t like decorations up before then. We usually put them up the following weekend - l would happily wait another week but am overruled by the rest of the family. I have been writing cards today, earlier than usual, because we have recently moved house and I am including our new address in many of them. Our oldest son is autistic and lives in a flat by himself. He has had two trees with lights and no other decorations since the beginning of November. It is common for autistic people to like and be comforted by lights and it is a dismal time of year, after all.

Chocolatelovinggran

Hmm - tomorrow is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent has begun, so nothing to do with December being the start - that's for Advent calendars: just saying....

The first Sunday of Advent is next Sunday, 3rd December.

Our outside lights have been put up today as it's our last free weekend before Christmas! They're not switched on yet though.

When our children were young nothing went up before the week with the 15th Dec in it.
It was long enough for them to be excited.
Then it might go to the weekend before.
Since my H died it starts when family decide they have time to come and do it.
I have been out for a meal tonight and our municipal tree was installed and lit in our local park and it looked lovely.

Golly - you're right Maggiemaybe. Our church has started it's reverse advent a week early. Dare I tell the minister this morning?